The Carol Zane Jolles papers document her research conducted among the Yup'ik and Inupiaq communities of St. Lawrence Island, Wales, and Little Diomede Island from approximately 1982-2004. Jolles interviewed residents (with a focus on village elders) in English, Yup'ik, and Inupiaq about their lives, traditions, and village histories. The collection contains audiovisual recordings, transcripts, correspondence, research project notes and papers, maps, charts, diagrams, drawings, and publications.
Scope and Contents:
The bulk of the collection consists of recorded interviews with the residents of St. Lawrence Island, Little Diomede, and Wales, Alaska. The interviews were conducted as part of numerous research projects led by Jolles from approximately 1982-2004. The interviews focus primarily on community life and history.
The records include: audiovisual recordings (cassettes, VHS tapes, and film) and associated transcripts; correspondence between Jolles and various community members; maps, charts, diagrams, and drawings (many created by community members); population records; reports; research project notes and papers; school records; photographs; and various publications.
Access to the collection is restricted, due to the presence of personally identifiable information (PII). Access is subject to approval by the Smithsonian Institution's Institutional Review Board (IRB). Please contact the National Anthropological Archives for further information.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into two (2) series: (1) St. Lawrence Island, 1910-2000 and (2) Little Diomede and Wales, 1930-2013.
Biographical note:
Carol Zane Jolles is a leading figure in Arctic ethnology who worked among the Yup'ik and Inupiaq communities in Alaska along the northern Bering Sea-Bering Strait region from 1982-2013.
Jolles was born on November 12, 1940 in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. She studied Literature at Earlham College (1958-1961) and received her Bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate from Roosevelt University (1964). From the 1964 to 1980 Jolles taught in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia public schools, until deciding to continue her education.
Jolles attended the University of Washington from 1982-1990, where she received her Master's degree (1985) and Ph.D. (1990) in Cultural Anthropology. Her doctoral research involved documenting family histories and relationships, gender roles, and the history and impact of acculturation and the activities of Presbyterian missionaries beginning in the late 1800s. This research also addressed changes in schooling and the decreased knowledge of the Yup'ik language. In 2002, Jolles, along with research partner, Elinor Mikaghak Oozeva, published the seminal book, Faith, Food, and Family in a Yupik Whaling Community.
After becoming a faculty member at the University of Washington in the 1990s, Jolles' anthropological research expanded to include the documentation of the Inupiaq hunting communities of Wales and the Diomede Islands. Here, she focused on indigenous knowledge, perception of place and space, Inupiat people's relation to their home territory as reflected in place names, oral histories, original art (drawings), and other cultural means. Other research interests included climate change and its impact on Alaska Native communities.
Jolles retired from the University of Washington in 2013. As Emerita Research Professor for the Department of Anthropology, she continues to maintain correspondence with various Yu'pik and Inupiaq community members.
Chronology
1940 November 12 -- Born in Washington, D.C.
1958-1961 -- Attends Earlham College
1964 -- Receives Bachelor's Degree in English & Language Arts from Roosevelt University Receives Teaching Certificate from Roosevelt University
1964-1980 -- Teaches in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia public schools
1982-1990 -- Studies as a Graduate Student in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Washington Conducts doctoral research in Alaska
1982-2013 -- Conducts research in St. Lawrence Island, Wales, and the Diomede Islands of Alaska
1985 -- Receives Master's Degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Washington
1990 -- Receives PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Washington
1990s -- Research Assistant Professor, Anthropology Department, University of Washington
1992-1995 -- Principal Investigator on the "Sivuqaghhmiit Traditions and Culture: Values for Survival in a Changing World" project
1995-1997 -- Principal Investigator on the "Yupik Women: Narratives of Eskimo Women's Lives" project
1997-2000 -- Principal Investigator on the "Yupik Women, Yupik Families: A Comparative Study of Siberian Yupik and St. Lawrence Island Yupik Eskimo Family Life"
1997-2001 -- Research Associate, Visiting Assistant Professor,Anthropology, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
2001-2002 -- Mentor for the National Science Foundation's Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA)
2001-2006 -- Principal Investigator on the "Collaborative Research-Change and Its Impact on Culture, Economy and Identity in Three North Bering Strait Alaskan Inupiat Societies: Diomede, King Island, Wales" project
2002 -- Publishes Faith, Food, and Family in a Yupik Whaling Community with Elinor Mikaghaq Oozeva
2006-2007 -- Principal Investigator on the "Assessing Alaskan Yup'ik Community Interest in a Dental Health Initiative" project
2006-2009 -- Principal Investigator on the "Ethnographic Approaches to Alaska Native Health Disparities Research" project
2008-2013 -- Principal Investigator on the "Inupiaq Landscapes and Architecture: Preserving Alaska Native Community Histories" project
2013 -- Retires
2013 -- Research Associate Professor, faculty emerita, Anthropology, University of Washington
Provenance:
The papers were donated to the National Anthropological Archives by Carol Jolles between 2014 and 2022.
Restrictions:
Access to portions of the collection may be restricted, due to the presence of personally identifiable information (PII). Access is subject to approval by the Smithsonian Institution's Institutional Review Board (IRB). Please contact the National Anthropological Archives for further information.
Inventory and assessment of human remains from Little Diomede Island, Alaska, in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution / by Lars Krutak and J. Christopher Dudar